Mediterranean Cruise -wheelchair access at ports

[contrarymary56]

We plan to do a mediterranean cruise Sept/11 and are travelling with a friend who has has both legs amputated. She has travelled caribbean cruises several times and had no difficultly with ground transportation and most destinations. Now we hear it is more difficult and expensive in Europe and it is not handicapped friendly. Has anyone do this cruise in a wheelchair? We would appreciate any feedback and sugguestions. I would hate to spend so much money and have her stranded on the ship unable to enjoy the ports.:eek:

[Splinter]

Can she transfer to a car easily? If so, then I would recommend taking cabs in most ports. I am assuming she will have a manual folding wheelchair. Scooters and power chairs are not very practical ashore due to lack of transportation and often no curb cuts or ramps. She may need assistance to bump up or down a curb or step or two. You are not going to find wheelchair lift-equipped van or bus tours through the cruise lines, and depending on the port, there can be very limited things to do close to the ship. It would help if you would list the ports you will be visiting.

[contrarymary56]

Yes she can transfer easily & will be travelling with a collapsable wheelchair. Do most tourist attractions offer proper restroom facilities and ramps for wheelchair access?

[cruisemom42]

I think it will be possible for her to enjoy the ports to an extent, but it's true that on the whole European cities and sites are not necessarily wheelchair-friendly. You will need to do a LOT of research and planning before you go.

 

In some ports you'll probably do best if you arrange a private tour. Private cars can get much closer to a lot of sites than tour buses can, making it a lot easier on you.

 

At some sites, it is possible to enter and see them in a wheelchair (like the Colosseum in Rome, which has a large elevator). At other places, an elevator may be available but only with either prior arrangement or sometimes a doctor's letter -- such as at the Acropolis in Athens.

 

I would not try to do any large sites such as Pompeii or Ephesus in a wheelchair. The paths and roads are uneven and would be virtually impossible.

 

On the Slow Travel Italy website, there is quite a bit of information on seeing Rome in a wheelchair. Here is one basic article, but there are others that discuss specific sites. A lot of the basic info would probably hold true for many of the large cities in the Med.

 

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/accessible/rome/wheelchair.htm

 

Again, if you post your ports, it would be easier to help. Florence would be particularly challenging in a wheelchair as vehicles are not allowed in the historic area; however, if you work with a private tour/guide, they may know a way around this issue.

[kitty9]

I have been to the Med many times, so if you could be so kind as to list the ports of call, I can help you with what ports are accessible and which are more difficult. Also, telling us the ship would also help, and I could give you a few hints of what ship sponsored tours might work. Unfortunately, when a cruise line lists a tour as accessible, many times it's not, because they have able bodied persons making the decisions as to what's easy and what's difficult. I've missed many tours because they were listed as not accessible, only to have friends come back from the tour to tell me it would have been possible for me to have gone on that tour.

[PennyAgain]

Rest rooms (toilets) can be a real issue. Often there is a semi-accessible toilet inside a building but the building has stairs.

 

Or you can't close the door on the toilet stall.

 

It takes planning and some good luck.

 

I have an app for my iPhone that finds toilets in major cities with some notes about accessibility. Of course you have to pay a few to turn on your cell phone.

[contrarymary56]

We are looking at the Carnival Magic. Leaves Barcelona going to Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa,Rome,Naple, Sicily,Palma de Mallorca, Marsielle and then back to Barcellona. Any comments/feedback/sugguestions would be very appreciated.:p

[viajes001]

Don't let people discourage you. It is doable. The secret is going with an open mind and being flexible. A lot does have to do with your level of activity and the type of chair your are in. I am active and have a folding chair. I can easily get from my chair and into a car. I cannot take any steps but if there is a step or two to get into somewhere I can pop a wheely and get a push. Don't expect perfection because you are not going to find that anywhere, not even in the U.S. I recently went to Washington D.C. and had more problems with accessibility there than in my Med. Cruise last year.

 

Barcelona - very accessible, the sidewalks are smooth and most have curb cuts. I think this a city a wheelchair user traveling alone wouldn't have any trouble in. The hop on hop off bus is accessible and a great way to get from site to site. There wasn't a site that we visited that wasn't accessible and we visited lots of them.

 

Naples - we hired a private driver and did the Amalfi Coast tour. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to get down in all of the towns, even Positano where the driver stopped in an area a stretch without stairs. Most of the shops had a step to get into but like I said that isn't anything a small push can fix. We had lunch in Amalfi and the restaurant was at ground level and so was the restroom. http://www.tourofitaly.com

 

Rome - again we hired a private driver and again it was a great experience. I was impressed that the restaurant where we had lunch had an elevator to get to the restroom. Now don't expect this because this is not common. When traveling anywhere, it is always best to go to restrooms in Museums. Normally this is no charge to get into museums for wheelchair users. http://www.romecabs.com

 

Florence/Pisa - another private driver here and another flawless experience. All of the churches were wheelchair accessible. http://www.romeinlimo.com

 

Nice - this we did on our own. We took a taxi from the port (tender, no problem) to Place Garibaldi in Nice. From there we strolled through the market down to the coast. We did a lot of walking, in my case rolling. If there were no curb cuts, someone was alway with me that could give me a push up.

 

Toulon - here we walked again. It was small town and the last day of the cruise so we walked around and then sat at a cafe.

 

This cruise was on the Voyager of the Seas by Royal Carib. You might want to do some research as to Carnival tender policies as well as the ships accessibility. If I remember correctly there have been some access problems on the sister ship, the Dream.

[runnerandme]

We used Romeinlimo in Rome and Florence. It was wonderful. There were four of us total with a folding wheelchair. It was worth the cost. If we go back to Europe again, I would do private tours at all the stops. I would check with Carnival special needs dept to see what the policy on tendering is if you have tender ports.

[mclinns04]

I spoke with the person selling future cruise certificate on our last cruise. She said we would LOVE the HC cabins on Magic. I didn't really love the one on Ecstasy.

[DidiPop]

Any idea about visiting the Pyramids from Alexandria. We are taking a Mediterrean cruise in Feb. and my mother (80) would like to join us. We had agreed to do a day trip with others on our roll call however if she does go, we might should go to Pyramids with mother. She has a scooter she uses on cruises. I don't see any NCL excursion (Jade) that goes to the Pyramids lower than a level 2. All she would like to do is see them. You know you don't want to get that close and not get to see them!! On the other hand, my DH and I would like to do as much as we can at the Pyramids.

 

Just want to know has anyone done a Pyramid excursion that uses a scooter. We could get a manual wheelchair if needed.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Dixie

[katisdale]

I have been to the pyramids but was using a rollator then. I now travel with a travelscoot. The only problem at the pyramids is the sand which is not wheelchair friendly. The wheels sink into it. I needed a beach chair. I remember thinking that at the time. We went with Blue Nile Tours. This was an excellent company. They provided a van which had plenty of room for the rollator and us. We did an overnight from Port Said with return to Alexandria the next day. They handled everything including obtaining an accessible hotel room for our night at the Le Meridien Pyramids. Although the very nice all marble accessible shower got extremely slick when it was wet. (Certainly not the fault of the tour company.) We really enjoyed this trip and saw lots besides the pyramids but were there overnight.

[DidiPop]

Thank you for your help. I am looking into Blue Nile on your recommendation and seeing others I finally found within CC. I believe as long as mother gets to see the pyramids and isn't too very far away is what she is wanting. And, I believe they will probably work with what DH and I are looking for also & she can sit in the van and read her Kindle...

 

Again - Thank you...

[Wheeliefun]

Hi! I was just looking at your thread WRT the Carnival Magic in the Mediterranean. I am in a wheelchair (I can transfer and am very small, as is my wheelchair) and am travelling with my 12 year old son on the same trip/ship this coming fall.

 

I hope you had a fantastic time and am wondering if you have any tips based on your experience.

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

J

[Dkoffee]

Mary/Wheeliefun, last June I did a Western Med cruise with my electric wheelchair and I can tell you it definitely can be done! Barcelona was one of the most accessible ports we visited...lots of accessible buses and the city center is generally flat.

 

In Monaco, we did a driving tour to visit Monaco, Nice, and the French Riviera coastline...so beautiful! We were fortunate because most ships use tenders there, but we docked.

 

In Livorno, we had already been to Florence and Pisa before so we opted to do a driving tour to Siena and Lucca. Charming towns that are a little less crowded in my opinion. And the driving tour used the scenic back roads instead of the main highways which gave us some great photo ops.

 

Rome has a week's worth of attractions, and it's impossible to do it all in a day. We had already been there before so we concentrated on the Capitoline Museums and the Borghese Gallery. Both have stairs at the main entrance but ramps at the back entrances. You'll need to get a staff member to open the door for you.

 

Naples has so much to see! We did Pompeii and Herculaneum. Next time we go back we're going to visit Capri and Naples. After that we'll make it to Sorrento and Positano.

 

I think the key is to understand the accessibility at each of the ports and tourist attractions so you can decide what meets your accessibility needs. I found helpful photos of the ports here: http://www.sagetraveling.com/cruise-port-accessibility-reviews-in-europe. I would also mention that we spent very different amounts of money depending on the port. Barcelona is easy to do with public transportation and a tour guide, while private tours in Tuscany and Rome were more expensive but allowed us to see a whole lot in a single day.

[jmehtauk]

I have been to the Med many times, so if you could be so kind as to list the ports of call, I can help you with what ports are accessible and which are more difficult. Also, telling us the ship would also help, and I could give you a few hints of what ship sponsored tours might work. Unfortunately, when a cruise line lists a tour as accessible, many times it's not, because they have able bodied persons making the decisions as to what's easy and what's difficult. I've missed many tours because they were listed as not accessible, only to have friends come back from the tour to tell me it would have been possible for me to have gone on that tour.

 

 

Hi

 

I am cruising on July 2014 to Western Med with Independence of seas

Ports that we cover are-Vigo-Gibraltor-Valencia-Barcelona-Palma-Ibiza-Cadiz

 

I would like to know on Shore excusions at these ports - with a view of not doing it with ship - any guidance is much helpful - thx

[jmehtauk]

Don't let people discourage you. It is doable. The secret is going with an open mind and being flexible. A lot does have to do with your level of activity and the type of chair your are in. I am active and have a folding chair. I can easily get from my chair and into a car. I cannot take any steps but if there is a step or two to get into somewhere I can pop a wheely and get a push. Don't expect perfection because you are not going to find that anywhere, not even in the U.S. I recently went to Washington D.C. and had more problems with accessibility there than in my Med. Cruise last year.

 

Barcelona - very accessible, the sidewalks are smooth and most have curb cuts. I think this a city a wheelchair user traveling alone wouldn't have any trouble in. The hop on hop off bus is accessible and a great way to get from site to site. There wasn't a site that we visited that wasn't accessible and we visited lots of them.

 

Naples - we hired a private driver and did the Amalfi Coast tour. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to get down in all of the towns, even Positano where the driver stopped in an area a stretch without stairs. Most of the shops had a step to get into but like I said that isn't anything a small push can fix. We had lunch in Amalfi and the restaurant was at ground level and so was the restroom. www.tourofitaly.com

 

Rome - again we hired a private driver and again it was a great experience. I was impressed that the restaurant where we had lunch had an elevator to get to the restroom. Now don't expect this because this is not common. When traveling anywhere, it is always best to go to restrooms in Museums. Normally this is no charge to get into museums for wheelchair users. www.romecabs.com

 

Florence/Pisa - another private driver here and another flawless experience. All of the churches were wheelchair accessible. www.romeinlimo.com

 

Nice - this we did on our own. We took a taxi from the port (tender, no problem) to Place Garibaldi in Nice. From there we strolled through the market down to the coast. We did a lot of walking, in my case rolling. If there were no curb cuts, someone was alway with me that could give me a push up.

 

Toulon - here we walked again. It was small town and the last day of the cruise so we walked around and then sat at a cafe.

 

This cruise was on the Voyager of the Seas by Royal Carib. You might want to do some research as to Carnival tender policies as well as the ships accessibility. If I remember correctly there have been some access problems on the sister ship, the Dream.

 

 

Hi

 

I am cruising on July 2014 to Western Med with Independence of seas

Ports that we cover are-Vigo-Gibraltor-Valencia-Barcelona-Palma-Ibiza-Cadiz

 

I would like to know on Shore excusions at these ports - with a view of not doing it with ship - any guidance is much helpful - thx

[jmehtauk]

Mary/Wheeliefun, last June I did a Western Med cruise with my electric wheelchair and I can tell you it definitely can be done! Barcelona was one of the most accessible ports we visited...lots of accessible buses and the city center is generally flat.

 

In Monaco, we did a driving tour to visit Monaco, Nice, and the French Riviera coastline...so beautiful! We were fortunate because most ships use tenders there, but we docked.

 

In Livorno, we had already been to Florence and Pisa before so we opted to do a driving tour to Siena and Lucca. Charming towns that are a little less crowded in my opinion. And the driving tour used the scenic back roads instead of the main highways which gave us some great photo ops.

 

Rome has a week's worth of attractions, and it's impossible to do it all in a day. We had already been there before so we concentrated on the Capitoline Museums and the Borghese Gallery. Both have stairs at the main entrance but ramps at the back entrances. You'll need to get a staff member to open the door for you.

 

Naples has so much to see! We did Pompeii and Herculaneum. Next time we go back we're going to visit Capri and Naples. After that we'll make it to Sorrento and Positano.

 

I think the key is to understand the accessibility at each of the ports and tourist attractions so you can decide what meets your accessibility needs. I found helpful photos of the ports here: http://www.sagetraveling.com/cruise-port-accessibility-reviews-in-europe. I would also mention that we spent very different amounts of money depending on the port. Barcelona is easy to do with public transportation and a tour guide, while private tours in Tuscany and Rome were more expensive but allowed us to see a whole lot in a single day.

 

Hi

I am cruising on July 2014 to Western Med with Independence of seas

Ports that we cover are-Vigo-Gibraltor-Valencia-Barcelona-Palma-Ibiza-Cadiz

 

I would like to know on Shore excusions at these ports - with a view of not doing it with ship - any guidance is much helpful - thx

[Chunky2219]

I think I'm your first reply actually from Europe, and it's time to put some of the inaccurate comments to bed.

 

Firstly, most major European cities are quite accessible and at least as good as I experienced in NYC 2 years ago, drop kerbs, toilets and all. We have disability laws that for the most part are the equal of or better than your ADA. The further east you go (geographically and politically) the less this is true but around the Med it's only when you get past Italy or into North Africa that things are lagging.

 

Of course, if you want to turn up somewhere that was built 2000 years ago things aren't so great and I would never have recommended anyone take a wheelchair for example to Pompeii. But there have been plenty of posts here from wheelchair users who have managed an abridged visit there.

 

I've done tours in wheelchair accessible buses with a ramp in the Med, including Barcelona and, I think Vigo. It all depends on what your cruise line has on offer. Contact their special needs team well in advance and ask.

 

You probably won't get an accessible bus tour in Gibraltar, but you can just wheel along the quay and into town. It ain't that big. Ditto for Vigo.

 

The only thing that I really do agree with is that you need to plan in advance. It all depends on your particular circumstances and it's no different to visiting the east Coast of the US if you do your homework.

 

I really do wish the Mods would set up a sticky on this page with information about accessibility in Europe. It's a rather big place and some of the wide-ranging, negative comments people make are just plain rubbish.

 

 

 

.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Chunky2219
typo

[katrina915]

I just came back from a Med cruise with my Dad in a collapsible wheelchair (Nov).

 

Only you know your situation and how much can be done by the person in the wheelchair after research. My Dad is elderly and normally uses a walker so that added to our challenge.

 

We went to Barcelona, Naples, Rome Pisa/Florence. We did Barcelona on our own and was fairly easy. For Rome and Pisa/Florence, we hired private driver and this can get pricey but well worth the money for what we did. The "bumps" in Vatican square and places in Rome and Florence bothered Dad, but we saw more than what we thought we could. He stayed in the car while I threw coins in Trevi fountain, etc.

 

One thing you need to be careful about is what is considered "wheelchair accessible". A church in Florence may be accessible once you get in it, but you may have to go up steep ramp to get to it and a bumpy path. If you have help, no problem. If not, you just move on.

 

I did not take him to Pompeii and glad I didn't. I regretted taking him to Ephesus. We went to Athens and the top of the Acropolis but fortunately there were some fellows to help on the steep decline.

 

The key for us was extensive research, a private driver and to be flexible.

[jmehtauk]

Many Thanks

 

What it looks to me is - among all the Ports that iam doing - Practically most ports be doable on my own (with planning etc)- However for doing Seville I perhaps may have to do it with Ship as i understand Seville is an hr from Cadiz Port where ship actually docks

Any suggetions on Palma/Ibiza?

[florrie135]

Hi

Vigo you can walk but quite steep to town but there is a shopping centre which is accessible right next to ship.

Barcelona we used accessible ships mini bus

Cadiz the red tourist busses are outside port and are accessible

Gibraltar you can walk or use a taxi if you can transfer drivers are very helpful

sorry not been to other ports

[Slugsta]

We will be on Azura in Sept 2014, visiting Gibraltar, Malta, Cadiz, Messina, Venice, Corfu and Dubrovnik.

 

I can walk, slowly, with one stick but cannot do long distances. My hubby gets impatient and would rather I use the transfer chair to get to places although I am also limited in my ability to sit for any length of time.

 

Does anyone have any idea for things we can DIY in or around the ports please?